As you may have heard, a 53-year-old woman was killed outside the Convention Center in San Diego yesterday. She was a Twilight fan who was there early to "camp out" and secure a good seat for an event there on Thursday. Details are here.
Yesterday, someone who's never been to Comic-Con asked me why anyone would camp out for several days to attend something like that. Your speculation is as good as mine. I would imagine that for some, the little "adventure" of being in line for several days with others of like mania is as much fun as getting a good seat and feeling closer to this series and its stars and makers. I can't think of anything that is likely ever to be offered in my world that would make me think it was worth it to wait in line half that long.
But one year I did find myself briefly among folks who had staked out spots along the route of the Rose Parade in Pasadena a few days before it commenced. It was like a big party out there and I could see that for some, that was at least as much fun as the parade would be. A few perhaps were seeking that feeling that they had achieved something special, some moment of privilege, by having the best seats to watch the floats go by.
Comic-Con does bestow on some people the opportunity to get close to and perhaps even touch something they love and/or feel is important. A lot of folks come away with an important memory or memento…or maybe just bragging rights that they got to "meet" (for three seconds) a star of their favorite movie or TV show. I had a friend in high school whose life was changed — for the better, I suspect — when he got to briefly visit the set of Star Trek and procure autographs from several cast members. He loved that show in one of those ways that those of us who never cared about that show will never understand and somehow felt empowered in life by his little field trip. Being around what he perceived as greatness had some sort of positive impact on him.
I've had people tell me that the mere act of attending Comic-Con does a little of that for them; that it inspires them to be around so much creativity and excitement. Whatever you think of the materials on display, they are generally all birthed out of someone's desire to create. I can certainly enjoy that. I don't know how many times an aspiring artist has shown me their portfolio and while I don't much care for the art, I like the artist and their enthusiasm and passion. It just feels good to be around and I think I go to the con for the energy as much as any other benefit. I'm guessing those who sleep outside a convention center for four days to get into a Twilight panel probably are getting their own kind of similar fix from it.